ManleyHouse News

September 16 ~ Sod
Got a good workout laying sod to replace some dead areas of grass. Manual labor!

September 16 ~ Train Set
I built a platform for the boy’s train track. I was tired of them pulling the track apart on the floor. I also wanted a day project. Its on wheels so that it rolls under the bed for storage and all the parts are nailed down so they don’t pull wires out. I used scrap wood from the garage, consequentially it doesn’t utilize the full space for storage under the bed. In other words - I have to build a bigger one with more track.

September 14 ~ Ascension To Power
I have been enlightened. I can see clearly now, for the first time in my life. It is in the precious few pages of the 1848 book The Communist Manifesto that we will unify the world. Forget this Iraqi freedom stuff - we need REVOLUTION! This is the only way to bring everyone in the world under my view…uh…I mean…the best view (yeah that sounds better) of how it should work. Now if we can just raise an army, pick a leader and decide on a cool revolution slogan then we can go. I think that I look good in stone.
Of course, we will need to define what our communist government will look like - no thanks to Marx. I was thinking of a Pol Pot- Trotskyism approach. I know what you are thinking: “one third of Cambodia was killed!” but we won’t make those mistakes. Most of those “statistics” come from starvation, We will make the Bourgeois pay for the food…poop, that means we can’t kill all of them in the revolution. And after we confiscate all of their money they won’t be rich anymore…I guess we’ll have to figure out these details later. For now just think REVOLUTION.
Seriously, I do think that one can argue we have moved from the capitalism phase to the socialism phase of Marx’s evolution. Not to say this is good or bad.
I’m on deck to read “Common sense” and “Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation” But really when it gets down to it which looks better.

September 4 ~ Uneventful labor day
We had a 3 day weekend. Brett Sat, Sun. and Monday. Valerie Sun, Mon and Tuesday. But Brett fell ill on Monday and just slept all day. Not specific illness just yuk. Brett started working on the bookshelf for the office. Valerie painting our hallway but neither project was finished. For another weekend or couple weekends…

September 4 ~ Disgraceful lawn
This has been a really bad year for our lawn. We have been fighting bugs and water all season. The front lawn is pretty bad. It’s a good thing that we don’t have a hardcore association. We did some improvements on the flower beds in the spring so they look better than they did. They could still use some work but much better than what the builder did when we moved in.

September 1 ~ Cars
We have been new-to-us car shopping lately. A few months ago we bought an 07 Grand Prix GT. It was Valerie’s 30th birthday present, or Brett says…since Valerie gets to drive it. Sweet ride although a little small for Brett. Our neighbor turned us onto a used car lot in Gainesville that has 0-3 year old vehicles with very low miles. They are mostly ex-rental cars. The prices are perfect. We had intended to go and pick up a mini-van that day but as we pulled up they sold it . So we got a Grand Prix with 8,000 miles instead. One of the best features that the car has is a remote start. It can be started from a distance so that the car can cool down/heat up before you even get in. It’s pretty cool. Still looking for the mini-van, which Brett will get to drive since he is the reliable one dropping and picking up the kids. Most ultra cool dads drive budget minivans… its true, I read it on the internet.

August 22 ~ Scuba
After 18 years with a Junior open water certificate I think its time to upgrade to adult status. I found out that Jacksonville has some pretty good diving. Its not as popular as south FL because you have to travel 10-30 miles out to get to good visibility. That distance, though, acts as a safeguard to mass traffic. With fewer visitors the environment is richer and you can still see larger schools of fish, unlike the high traffic areas of Miami and the Keys. Jacksonville is also regarded as a spear fishing haven.

August 20 ~ Tristan starts Pre-K
Tristan has started Pre-K. Its starting… We have to get moving earlier in the morning as he has to be there are 8:30 am. We were challenged to get there by 9am last year. But with Mom not working crazy hours and Dad not getting off on his own, we seem to be working together as a team and making it in time. Jack is helpful too as he tends to wake at 7:30, give or take a few minutes every morning. Tristan on the other hand has to be dragged out of bed, it would be helpful if he actually wanted to sleep at night but he just wants to stay up, so he lays awake in bed, with spurts of getting up, Mom… Can I have a drink. I’m thirsty. …No you already had a drink of water it is time to sleep. We started playing a night time CD and that seems to help a little.
Oh yea Pre-K. I think he likes it. He is doing little projects, like creating a book of what he likes and is relating numbers to numbers of objects.

August 19 ~ Garage and Office Cleaning
Ashton got his stuff out of the garage and I got rid of the excess furniture. We can actually get a car in the garage! We got Dad’s old safe delivered here to. But I think water damage may have ruined it. It won’t open - stupid safe, you’d think they would be easier to get into.
Slowly but surely been we have been working on the office. One step at a time. Still a few things to get rid of, like the 3 extra computers, one Valerie’s, 2 Brett’s. Before I get rid of mine, I must back up all the data from college. The plan would be to get some of those 5g quick cards and transfer data. That would be quicker than burning CD’s. Now left is to organize the scrape book stuff so I can start working on putting them in albums… someday.

August 7 ~ Vet visit
Samson had a suspicious growth on his hind leg that we had biopsies. Fortunately, it was nothing. These days he has quite a few growth and gray hairs. Poor old fellow. I think he’s getting def too. It’s hard to believe that he is 11 years old, which means Brett and I have been together for 11 years. We got him just after we started dating. Well, Brett really got him per my idea, that he should get one of the cute puppies that was at his parents neighbor's house. It’s not my fault he brought me down to meet his parents the weekend the neighbors had new puppies, which had not even open there eyes…

July 30 ~ Mom Birthday
We celebrated. Dinner party at our house. It was nice. Friends, steak dinner.

July 22 ~ Aunt Maria
Aunt Maria came to visit for the later part of the week. It was pool time for Maria and Tristan. Everyday they hit the water. I can handle a couple of hours but they make a half day of it. Dunkin Donuts is a daily staple on these visits. Donut holes followed by sugar crashes.

July 7 ~ Kids and books
Why do kids want to read the same book EVERY night - its Bill Pete’s Cyrus the Unsinkable Sea Serpent.

July 7 ~ Air cart
Wonderful home projects! This one only took a couple of hours.

July 8 ~ Hanna park
We spent the day at Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park with a co-worker of mine and his wife. Bryan and I got some off-road biking in while the ladies watched the kids at the local water playground. They have a pretty kick’n playground. I say off “off-road biking” because I just can’t say mountain biking with a straight keyboard… its Florida. Still a workout though. We picked an ungodly hot spot to picnic. It was backed in the woods with no breeze. You live- you learn. At the end of the day we stopped by the beach to cool off, it was a nice relaxing dip.

July 8 ~ Grandparents visit
The Vento’s were in town this week. It was very nice to have them. Valerie and I got to see two movies and went out to dinner like a romantic couple! We actually didn’t do anything big this visit, though it was still nice. The Grammy and Grandfather Vento took the kids down to Cocoa to see Grandma and Grandpa Manley. I got a San Francisco steam brew ready just in time to enjoy with Richard. He was the one to get me the brewing kit the Christmas before and every time he has visited since then I’ve been empty. This batch came out nice, darker than I expected.

May ~ Expecting
Just in case you have not heard yet, we are pregnant with our third. As with Tristan we have not found out the sex. We haven’t even picked out names. I have a feeling that this one will just pop out while Valerie is doing the dishes or something. I’m just kidding, we’ve been to the doctors and everything is just fine. The ultrasound was great. Its due in the first week of November so Valerie gets the holidays off. She is stoked about that. We are both very happy of course, I think this will make a fine addition to my clone army.

New Job
Valerie started at Direct Buy as a cabinet designer. A change for the good. Better hours.. Mostly - Tuesday -Thursday 10-6 and Friday - Saturday 9-5 off Sunday and Monday’s. Some times little earlier and some times little later but not past 8pm. So life is good.